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COP27: Global forestry report highlights importance of growing national forest-based economies

Governments around the world are turning to the benefits of sustainable forest management and carbon-capturing forest products to support climate action and green economic development. Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) welcomes the launch of a new global report at the United Nations World Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt that will help advance forestry solutions and policy dialogue in Canada and other forested nations worldwide.

“Canada has a tremendous natural and renewable resource in our forests and is a global leader in how we manage them. There is no path to a net-zero carbon economy in Canada without forestry and forest products,” said FPAC president and CEO Derek Nighbor. “The World Business Council for Sustainable Development estimates that wood demand will grow by nearly 10% every year between now and 2030 – and that’s just due to increased demand in the global building and construction sectors. Global customers want forest products from countries that respect human rights, have zero tolerance for deforestation, and are committed to sustainable forest management. This is a clear advantage for Canada on the global stage,” Nighbor added.

The report called “The growing role of forest products in climate change mitigation & the need for nationally determined forestry approaches to achieve net zero emissions” by Dalberg highlights the importance of growing national forest-based economies to help address an emerging global timber and wood fibre supply gap as demand for climate-friendly materials continues to rise.

“If the world doesn’t move to encourage growth in sustainable forest industries through climate policy, we will witness greater problems in the years and decades ahead, problems like increased illegal logging and deforestation activity in places where governance controls are most challenging. Individual countries must however develop the best policies to suit them. One country might be best suited to growing more sustainable plantations. Another to enhancing productivity of small holders. And in another it might mean a careful increase in natural forest management,” said Mokena Makeka, Dalberg advisors principal.

Commissioned by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-Based Industries (ACSFI) and the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA), the report also showcases the benefits of recognizing country-specific approaches to sustainable forest management and the importance of remaining anchored on shared climate principles at an international level – clear market advantages for Canada.

“Half the dry weight of timber is carbon. Forest products in all shapes and forms are the best friend that climate mitigation has. The Dalberg research concludes that with global demand increasing at an astonishing rate off the back of urban growth, it’s critical we grow timber and fibre sustainably across the world to meet growing demand in the decades ahead,” said Ross Hampton, chair of the FAO’s ACSFI.

“The consumers are making a conscious choice and turning to fibre-based materials. And we must do this to prevent runaway climate change. We need to focus equal attention on ensuring supplies of fibre are secured from sustainably managed forests, done to world’s best environmental standards. In the global north however, we are seeing a regulatory pressure to reduce fibre supplies. This report demands that we all consider what effect this might have in places which already struggle to prevent illegal harvest,” said ICFPA president Jori Ringman.